According to reports, on March 14th, the Italian competition regulatory authorities imposed a total fine of 10 million euros (about 10.94 million US dollars) on three branches of TikTok, because the platform failed to effectively supervise the content that might harm minors and vulnerable groups.
This move reflects the regulators’ great concern about the content supervision on social media platforms, especially those that may endanger the safety of minors. Italian regulatory authorities pointed out in the statement that TikTok failed to supervise the content published on its platform through appropriate mechanisms, especially those that may harm minors and vulnerable groups. These contents have also been systematically re-recommended through algorithmic analysis, resulting in a significant increase in their use on social networks.
The punished branches are located in Ireland, Britain and Italy, which marks the further tightening of social media content supervision in Europe.
As a social media giant owned by ByteDance, TikTok, like Facebook and its parent company Meta and other social platforms, is under pressure from regulators in many countries around the world to strengthen the protection of underage users. This punishment highlights the concern of regulators about the content on the platform that may induce minors to participate in harmful behaviors.
Specifically, the Italian government has raised concerns about “French Scar” videos, which show young people deliberately pinching their cheeks until they get bruised, causing widespread anxiety among parents, educators and health departments.
TikTok spokesman said that he did not accept this punishment decision of the regulatory authorities, and pointed out that the platform had taken measures to limit the visibility of “French Scar” videos posted by users under 18. In addition, Italian communication authorities have also asked TikTok to delete such videos to reduce their potential harm to young users.
Italy’s heavy penalty on TikTok highlights the global trend of strengthening the supervision of social media platforms, especially protecting the safety of underage users. This incident emphasizes the responsibility of platforms in content supervision, and how they can find a balance between user freedom and security protection in the future.
Post time: Mar-20-2024